It’s little wonder Heidi Northcott has developed into one of the top female pitchers in the country.
Northcott’s father, Harold, has always been a top-end pitcher, plus he was pitching coach for Team Canada.
“I’ve learned a lot from him . . . I’m lucky, he’s helped me be where I am today.”
The 19-year-old Rocky Mountain House native is a member of the Canadian national women’s team which will compete in the fifth annual IBAF women’s baseball World Cup, which begins today in Edmonton and runs through to Aug. 19.
Northcott’s father not only worked on developing four pitches — fastball, curve, slider and change-up — but the mental side of the game as well.
“Definitely mound presence,” she said when asked what his main contribution has been. “To be able to step up under pressure and control my emotions. To stay in the zone.”
Northcott considers the curve her best pitch and just recently added the slider.
“To be able to pitch at this level you need more than one or two pitches,” said Northcott, who is in her third season with Team Canada.
She was on the team in 2009 and 2011, both off years for the World Cup. But she has had international experience.
“In 2009 we played Japan and the United States in Granby, Que., and last year we played a six-game series in the States,” she explained. “In June we went to Cuba and Venezuela.”
Northcott always felt she was capable of playing for the national squad, but her confidence received a boost when she was named to the team in 2009.
“That year there were 30 girls with the team and being among them was a boost for my confidence, plus I learned what I needed to do to be better at the game.”
Northcott is one of 10 pitchers on the Canadian squad, which opens play today at 8:30 p.m. at Telus Field against Chinese Taipei. The Americans, two-time defending champion Japan, Australia, Venezuela, Cuba and the Netherlands are also in the tournament, which consists of a round-robin with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals on Aug, 18. The final is Aug. 19 at 5 p.m. The majority of the games are at Telus Field with John Fry Park an alternate site.
Northcott has worked in relief with the national team, although she’s not sure what her role will be.
“With nine games in such a short period of time you have to expect a little bit of everything,” she said.
Northcott grew up in a baseball family as not only was her father active in the game but so where her brothers, Chad and Dustin, both of whom are with the Red Deer Riggers. Chad is an infielder while Dustin pitches.
Heidi got her first taste of the game when she was five and was hooked.
She competed in boys’ baseball, and still does, in Rocky while also playing for Team Alberta in the girls’ division. She played with the peewee program when she was 12, eventually moving to the bantams and the senior squad. In fact she just finished playing for Alberta in the nationals in Spruce Grove where Alberta beat Quebec 7-1 in the bronze medal game.
Northcott played first base when she wasn’t pitching, but will only work on the mound for the national team.
“I really love pitching and I’ll just focus on that,” she added.
Northcott, who played midget for the Rocky Mountain House squad this year, attends the UBC Okanagan in Kelowna.
“It’s nice weather there and I can get a friend to come out and catch for me,” she said.
Having played both men’s and women’s baseball, Northcott has a good idea what the difference is.
“If you watch the two, it’s baseball. There’s not a noticeable difference, except in the speed and there’s not as many home runs. But it’s similar in that the girls are diving and sliding and playing the game hard.”
Northcott is one of four Albertans on the team, which has three rookies . . . Japan has won the last two World Cups while the USA won the first two.